I Put A Spell On You
by KittyNebula
Summary: Eliot and Parker celebrate Halloween as only a quirky Thief and her steady Hitter can.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:**

**This isn't set in any particular season but could be classed as post Season 5 although I have kept Nate and Sophie around.**

**Fluff Warning - You may be in need of possible dental treatment after reading as this is fluff, pure unadulterated schmoop**

**Disclaimer: Much as I wish Eliot was mine sadly he isn't, neither is Leverage it belongs to the nice people who make the big bucks. I am merely borrowing them to play with for a little while.**

**Part 1**

Eliot moved about his kitchen humming under his breath as he pulled the ingredients together for pancakes, they'd had a couple days down time between jobs and he'd spent it watching games and cooking to unwind. Sophie and Nate had gone away to Paris to spend time together since they'd finally decided that they wanted to be together and Hardison was neck deep in a geek fest at one of his conventions.

So that just left Eliot and his little thief.

He smiled as he heard the tell tale thump of feet landing on the floor of his bedroom, he wasn't sure if she was aware that she was _his,_ because lets face you could never be sure of anything with Parker, but as far as he was concerned she was his as long she allowed him to look out for her. He chose not to analyse that too much as that path was not one either of them were ready to go down. Well not yet anyway, and definitely not after she had so recently broken up with Hardison, you just didn't do that to friends, but he couldn't deny there had been the odd lingering look shared on a job, or in the office and he wasn't blind, Parker was gorgeous and crazy as all get out and yeah... not going down that country road just yet.

He heard her muttering as she put her gear away and he shook his head; a quiet chuckle escaping him at how at ease they were in each others space. It had become a regular thing for Parker to spend time with him at his house on their infrequent downtime, claiming at least his fridge had food, neither questioned the ease they felt with each other as it had just developed naturally over their time working together.

He had wondered if he had played a part in her break up with Hardsion, all be it unintentional, but Parker had insisted she had always been honest with Hardison about where she spent her time off and that he didn't mind her spending time with the Hitter. Eliot wasn't convinced that the Hacker would have been completely happy with his girlfriend spending so much time with another guy though, if the roles had been reversed he would have had to have said something. It was a moot point now though, Parker had ended things stating that she loved Hardison as a brother and that was it. Hardison had of course been devastated but after a few weeks of awkward silences at the office things had settled down again.

Parker seemed to enjoy the peace of his place after the adrenaline highs of their jobs and she knew Eliot would just let her be until she crashed, usually face first on his couch after she came down from whatever after con sugar buzz she was on had worn off. Sometimes they would just spar in his gym, or he'd be coerced into watching one of her Disney movies and other times she would watch him cook, seemingly fascinated with how he could take a few items and turn it into something amazing to eat. He had been to her loft as well, he felt honoured by her trust in him as no one else in the Team had had the privilege of seeing her living space. She had grinned like the Cheshire Cat when he told her he really liked the large open space with its high roof beams, that of course she had various rigs set up on, but they both seemed to gravitate to his house on the outskirts of the city.

"Mornin' Parker, you want pancakes?" he called out as he turned to pour the batter onto the griddle plate.

Breakfast was another thing that had become a kind of routine with the pair, it had started out as Parker breaking into his house just to prove that she could get past the gruff hitter without him noticing. Eliot of course had been incensed that the little blonde had managed to sneak past his security, but when she explained that she had picked his house because he presented the biggest challenge he had let her off with just a scowl in response to her impish smile and her demands for breakfast.

Over time they started to spend more and more time together both in work and out, he understood her need to disappear some days just as well as she understood his need to blot out his past in a bottle of Jack when the memories got too much.

"Mmmmmm, where's the maple syrup?"

Eliot chuckled and tossed the pancakes onto a plate and put them on the counter in front of her before grabbing the syrup from the cupboard. He watched as she poured a healthy quantity over the pancakes before digging in. He appreciated that she seemed to like his cooking and she in turn appreciated the fact that he let her pour half a bottle of maple syrup on her breakfast and never said a word. She did love her sugar buzz in the morning.

"So," she paused chewing on her bottom lip, before glancing at Eliot who was currently leaning against the counter with a cup of tea. She watched the play of the muscles in his arms as he bought the cup to his mouth, her gaze darted to his throat and she watched mesmerised as he swallowed a mouthful of tea, his adams apple moving under the skin, she wondered fleetingly what it would be like to trace the outline of his jaw with lips and tongue, down his throat, maybe she could just nibble along his collar bone as well before working her way down to his chest... mmmm now there was something worth spending time on. Eliot had a very, very nice chest. She didn't realise how hard she had been staring until she blinked and looked at his face again.

He was already shaking his head no, "Whatever is going through that pretty blonde head of yours the answer is no darlin'."

She panicked briefly thinking he had cottoned on to her thoughts, but the panic didn't stop her heart from stuttering when he called her darling in that low Southern drawl, and her mouth was spewing words before she knew where she was, "I never said anything... well not yet anyway so you can't say no until you..." she only just managed to reign herself in when what he'd said actually caught up with her. "Wait, you think I'm pretty?" Hardison had told her constantly she was pretty when they were dating but it never gave her that warm floaty feeling that was currently making her stomach feel like she did just before she jumped off a new building for the first time.

He blinked at her, wishing he could take that back, he really had to learn not to let his heart speak over his brain, but it was too late and she had this look on her face which damn it was just plain adorable. Eliot shrugged nonchalantly but decided to just be honest with her and hope she didn't bolt.

"Well sure, anyone with eyes would think you're pretty."

She pouted at him before a small smile graced her lips and he felt that stirring in his gut that only she seemed to ignite in him.

"Hmm, OK, so next week is Halloween."

Eliot braced himself for what was coming next, glad that she had accepted his compliment and hadn't freaked out, but dreading what was going to come out of her mouth next. Parker had a strange addiction for celebrating all and every holiday. He guessed it stemmed from her childhood, but it didn't alter the fact that some of her celebration ideas were beyond strange, and inevitably he was the one that got roped in to assist her.

He held up a hand to stop her, "One." he held up a finger, "I am not wearing a costume. Two, no way in hell am I going trick or treating with you after the last time. Three-"

Parker sighed, Eliot could be such a party pooper sometimes, sure he thought she was pretty and she was going to save _that_ little nugget for thinking about later but did he seriously think she would make him wear a costume? Halloween wasn't a con to be worked and he looked perfectly good in his current outfit, although if he wanted to put on one of his Cowboy hats and sing for her she had no objection to that at all.

"I just wanted to make a Halloween cake." She sounded so subdued he felt the guilt tighten in his chest.

"Oh. Cake? I can do cake." he nodded. She grinned and bounced across the kitchen toward him, hugging him, his arms automatically wrapped around her waist squeezing her gently and pulling her closer. He would never tell a living soul but he lived for these rare moments of closeness with her. Considering neither of them were good with obvious touching and shows of affection for some reason with Parker it just felt right.

"I saw this show on Food Network the other night and they made this awesome Halloween cake and I knew if anyone could make it you could."

She looked up at him from where her head rested against his shoulder and like the thief she was he felt her steal yet another piece of his heart.

"Since when did you watch Food Network and exactly how big was this cake?"

Parker had a huge grin on her face as she wiggled out of his arms and started to bounce around the kitchen in excitement before hopping up on the counter.

"Oh it was a castle and it even had real lights and a lake and trees and I watch it because you watch it all the time and its more interesting than foot-"

Eliot had moved stand right in front of her and she stopped mid sentence when she saw the look he was giving her, it was his 'no way in hell' look with a dash of his 'you're crazy woman' look thrown in for good measure, his arms were crossed over his chest and he looked like he was about to growl at her. Parker shifted under his gaze and looked down at the counter top, picking at the edge.

"It doesn't have to have lights." she muttered as she felt a finger under her chin forcing her to look at Eliot.

He was trying not to smirk at her, he really was but she was just too damn adorable when she got excited about something, he caught himself leaning in and braced his hands on the counter either side of her hips. Taking a deep breath to centre himself didn't really help as he got hit with the fruity smell of her shampoo which mixed in with the scent that was uniquely Parker got his mind going in directions he really shouldn't be thinking on too much. He realised in that moment that he was way past falling for the blonde thief he was already head over heels for her and it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone that has taken the time to read, comment, favourite and follow this story - it really does mean a lot :) Apologies for the delay in posting this second chapter, real life kind of got in the way. This has grown from a 3 part short story into something a little bigger, I'm thinking it will be complete in 5 parts instead of 3 but it depends on how my Muse wants to play it.

Oh and the programme that Parker is watching along with the cake are real - check out Ace Of Cakes - Hogwarts Castle on youtube - amazing stuff!

Part 2

Parker was watching Eliot intently as he leaned in slightly, unconsciously licking her lips as he braced his hands either side of her on the counter. She could feel the heat of his body and she felt a sense of peace as she always did when she was in close proximity to the Hitter and her eyes darted to his lips wondering if they were as soft as they looked.

"How about we start a bit smaller?" she blinked as his voice snapped her out of her contemplation of his lips. "How small are we talking?" she narrowed her eyes.

Eliot laughed and stepped back from her personal space and she couldn't hide her small shiver at the loss. "Well I've not seen the show you're talkin' about, but I imagine it was a pretty big assed cake and I don't really have the kitchen for makin' that big a cake."

"Pffffft, your kitchen is almost as good as the one at McRorys." Clapping her hands together Parker jumped off the counter top, grabbing Elitot by the arm and dragging him towards the couch.

"Besides, I Tivo'd it for you!" she shot him a smug smile over her shoulder as she jumped over the back of his couch and landed in her usual spot, grabing the remote in the process. "I knew you'd probably need to see it if you're gonna make the cake!"

Eliot settled in beside her shaking his head in amusement. Parker was staring transfixed by the show currently on playback on his TV, she only took her gaze off the screen for a second to make sure he was paying appropriate atttention. He winked at her, his mind already compiling a list of the things he would need from the grocery store to make a cake and decorate it to resemble a castle, he decided not to think to much on the prospect of Parker loose at the grocery store however.

Once he knew what he needed he settled back to watch Parker, he had to admire her total concentration on what was going on on screen, she was smiling slightly and nodding as if to agree with something that had just been said. She shifted on the couch to kick off her chucks and he noticed she had gone from smiling to frowning; it was the same frown that she always got when a safe was giving her a little more trouble than expected. As he continued to watch her, her expression shifted back to happy when whatever had been bothering her on screen was resolved to her satisfaction.

"So?" Parker was practically vibrating with excitement when she turned to Eliot as the credits rolled.

"It was a good cake darlin'."

"So you'll make me a cake for Halloween? A Castle Cake?" Parker was practically beaming until Eliot shook his head,

"No, _we'll_ make a cake for Halloween." he smirked at the scowl Parker gave him before she started bouncing again.

"YAY!"

He smiled at her enthusiasm for something as simple as a cake, wondering not for the first time how he so easily caved to her various demands and requests and it always came down to the same thing; he hated to see Parker sad and if by letting her loose in his kitchen with a mixer and cake batter achieved that goal? Then apparently thats what was going to happen, Parker induced chaos be damned.

"Ok, OK now before we start on this cake, we need to go buy a few things from the grocery store."

"Shopping?"

Eliot could hear the whine in her voice as he grabbed his keys and wallet and waited by the door, "Uh huh, now get your butt in gear Parker, you want cake? We need to go shoppin'."

Parker shoved her shoes on and followed Eliot out to his truck, she really didn't like shopping, there were too many people and it was no challenge to steal from a grocery store, but she wanted cake and if she was with Eliot it hopefully wouldn't be so bad. He always seemed to make things fun.

"Can I get cereal?"

Eliot rolled his eyes as he put the truck in drive and pulled out onto the street. "Yes you can get cereal, but no hijackin' peoples shoppin' carts this time."

He tried to sound stern but she knew he'd found it as funny as she had, "But you saw crazy cat ladies face when she realised her cart was full of dog food."

"Parker, you pull anythin' like that this time and I'll leave you there." he couldn't help the growl that had slipped into his voice when he remembered the chaos of their last trip to the store.

"No you wouldn't, you would never leave anyone behind."

Eliot slid his eyes in her direction surprised at the conviction in her voice, she was looking at him and he wondered not for the first time at how well the little thief knew him.

"Maybe not, but I swear Parker you so much as twitch in the direction of a shoppin' cart and we're going home - got it?"

"Got it Mr Bossy Pants."

"Parker!" this time he did growl.

"Alright, alright, sheesh I won't touch any shopping carts."

She was still pouting as they parked up and Eliot had to hide his grin at her behaviour, it was one of the things he found so endearing, her ability to be so serious one moment and so childlike the next. He got out of the truck and walked around to where she was standing staring at the shoppers just going about their business, he never even gave it a thought as he held out his hand to her.

She took it without hesitation her fingers slotting with his and he felt something flare and settle in his chest.

"C'mon lets go get you cereal, the quicker we get this done the quicker you get your cake."

She grinned and tugging on his hand dragged him towards the entrance, he just hoped the rest of the shoppers survived their visit.

TBC...


End file.
